Misrepresentation of facts have led to treat issue as a caste battle: Smriti Irani says on Rohith's death

"Let's have a responsible and responsive dialogue on the issue. In cases, misconstrued information and misrepresentation of facts have led to treat issue as a caste battle," she said while addressing a press conference here.

"There has been a malicious attempt to project the issue as a caste battle.Truth is that, it is not," she said.

Irani said she will not engage in 'political mud-slinging' over the death of the student.

Speaking on the death of the student and the protests following the incident, Irani said: "I am here to clear certain misrepresentation of facts on the suicide of Rohit. It’s not a Dalit versus non Dalit confrontation."
Rohith's suicide has triggered a political storm with two central ministers, Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, facing allegations that their pressure led to action against the student.

Rohith and the four other students were suspended and asked to stay away from the hostel for allegedly beating an activist from the BJP's student wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad in August, during a protest on campus against the execution of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.

The students had earlier been cleared by the university. But four months later in December, the university reversed its decision and took action against the students.

Protesters allege that the university's decision was linked to a letter that Bandaru Dattatreya, the BJP parliamentarian from Secunderabad, wrote to Education Minister Smriti Irani alleging that the university had become a "den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics".

After  Dattatreya's letter, four letters went to the university from Smriti Irani's Human Resource Development ministry, asking what action had been taken.

Bandaru Dattatreya has been named in a police complaint and has been accused of compelling the university to punish Rohith and his comrades. Students and activists have been protesting outside his home